Stem Cell Overview

The Basics

Stem cells are undifferentiated precursor cells that can perpetuate themselves as stem cells (called self renewal), or that can differentiate into many different specialized cell types, such as heart muscle cells. Stem cells are at the center of the new field of regenerative medicine.

Stem cells have been proposed as treatments for many human diseases. The diseases most likely to benefit from stem cell therapy include heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, macular degeneration, cancer and other serious human diseases. Stem cells could potentially reduce the need for organ transplants and related surgeries.

Stem cells are found in the human body in many different tissues including bone marrow, heart, brain, pancreas, blood, skeletal muscle, fat, and skin. Adult stem cells have been used to treat human disease for more than forty years, beginning with their use in bone marrow transplant. In the late 1990’s reports from diverse scientific disciplines suggested that bone marrow stem cells may have applications to other diseases outside of blood cancer, thereby radically transforming their clinical utility. Adult bone marrow stem cells are now being investigated in over 50 clinical studies outside of the blood cancer diseases (listed at www.clinicaltrials.gov). Clinical trials have already demonstrated the safety of these cells in heart disease and stroke, and well designed and controlled Phase II clinical trials have also shown that stem cell therapy improves mortality in heart disease.

Although clinical trials have shown the potential of adult stem cell therapies, limitations with the current treatment methods have been identified both clinically and in animal models. Stem cells preferentially accumulate in clearing sites in the spleen and liver, even when the stem cells are injected directly into the target organ. The current frontiers in regenerative medicine and stem cell therapy are stem cell delivery and organ retention.


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